NDS a bargain as DAC?

Hi-Fi Corner
61

I run Qobuz everyday on a NDS using mConnectHD.
I run Qobuz on a B system on the Ndac with the same mConnectHD.
I am surprised nobody mentions it…
This is not user-friendly but this is the only way to get Qobuz, as far as I know.

62

Stepping back, while I enjoy My new streaming experience through qobuz on my reference system with my humble node 2i, I have realized 3 things:

  1. I will probably not buy CDs any more (which I enjoyed and did a lot…so sad/ maybe I still go the fnac to see the news and receive insights from passionate people, but without buying?) since I can have hi-rez unlimited! Buying a cd now really is “obsolete” if not for the pleasure of having the artwork as a physical object, given that unlike for vinyl no one is saying red book cd sounds better than hi-rez?
  2. i will not rip my thousands of cds since I can have 99% accessible through streaming. If I have an illogical urge I still keep the cd player.
  3. and I’m not sure I need a local network, and all the complexities, as I wont have anything really that I need to connect wirelessly to a source. I can always use USB?

What a world!

2 Likes
63

Hi Nestor,

I do understand the logic of your position, BUT:

  • As much as I enjoy Qobuz my CD rips sound a tad better;
  • Music on Qobuz sometimes is removed;
  • When my internet connectivity occasionally drops I like to have an alternative source, apart from my turntable.

M

1 Like
64

Hi M,
Yes I agree with your points but I see them dynamically meaning that they were bigger issues yesterday and probably will be even less tomorrow as qobuz and technologies catch up. And do your cd rips sound better than hi-rez streaming? Without too much comparative hearings, just my impression that they are very very close. The question then is where are we going to find the pleasure to “discuss” and “discover” if the places where this happened all close up…online forums? Way to go!

65

Hi N,

Fair points.

If I add together the cost of the NAS and all my media, plus the time for ripping, perhaps I wouldn’t go the CD + NAS route - just for audio. But, there are specific recordings I have spent time getting my hands upon, whereas with a streaming service you end up with what the studio supplies, at least at the moment.

My suspicion is that if media disappears then streaming services will start to ratchet the costs.

WRT to HiRez, good point. No, I am streaming at CD quality. I should give HiRez streaming a go.

M

66

Hi, re-reading the thread now with more information…I’m wondering about: what is the reason why Qobuz would sound better by streaming through a BubbleUPNP setup rather than through the Bluesound node 2i?
Many thanks

67

Because - if I read this thread correctly - with Bubble you’d be using the NDS as both transport and DAC whereas with the Node you’d be using this as transport and the NDS as the DAC.

68

Jean-Michel,
Actually what you describe looks simpler…no BubbleUp, no computer? Why do you say it is not user friendly?
Thanks
Nestor

69

OK, thanks I understand the point now. The integration of the transport and dac in the nds is a plus.

70

mConnect sounds awful compared to BubbleUPnP. Possibly because the music goes over WiFi via the control point that you are using.

71

Guinnless,
But with BubbleUPNP isn’t the music also going over WIFI? I’m not sure I understand the difference in the flows in the options.

72

No, it goes over ethernet same as the Naim App does.

73

For me it’s better sounding than Tidal. But it crashes too many times and specially hirez.

74

Never had an issue with either Qobuz or Tidal. Flawless for the past 12 months. Although Tidal has gone now as I no longer need it.

75

I responded to you because you said Mconnect sounds awful…

76

Oh I see. mConnect relies on WiFi on your control point and to stream hires it has to work particularly well.

1 Like
77

However, apart the crashes , it sounds better than tidal. But not possible to really enjoy in that condition , due to average WiFi as you pointed.

78

This is why I use Bubble UPnP :smiley:

79

Nestor,
What I would call user-friendly is Audirvana or Spotify player or Qobuz player: a nice display with useful functions that you find easily. MconnectHD is far from them. In addition to that, once you run a “CD”, you get not all information on what is being played; for instance, Grigori Sokholov, piano, Sonata n3 mvt 1 without knowing whether this is Scriabin, Chopin or Beethoven.

80

Nestor,
I ripped one thousand CDs on a Uniti Core connected to NDS. CD quality on Uniti Core > HiRes on Synology Nas or CD Quality on Synology Nas driven either by DS or NaimApp . Whether NAS Synology is > to Qobuz would be less obvious.
I did not have a chance to compare Uniti Core CD quality to Qobuz streaming hires for the Internet is weak at this system’s place.
As far as I am concerned, ripped CD is necessary.